Located in Dresden TN, Moran Place was built by J.W. Moran for his wife Sophia Reilly Gunn. It's a modified design of George Barber's Cottage no. 36 from Book No. 2. Construction began in early 1895 but put on hold when Sophia became Ill and died Oct 7 1895. Construction resumed a few months later. The items presented here are from Moran Place.

Friday, September 7, 2012

I came across an invitation for Fannie Moran to attend the W.C.G. Dance in Atlanta Georgia dated January 3d, 1890. Enclosed with the invitation was a calling card from J.A. Rogers Jr that said "Will I see you next summer?"

John A. Rogers was the son of John A Rogers Sr and Martha Elizabeth Hawkins. His sister Mary Boyd Rogers married James A. "Bump" Irvine making John Rogers Jr a cousin of Fannie Moran and perhaps a romantic interest since he was asking her to the dance.

He was born in 1872 and died March l0, 1933. He didn't marry Fannie, I don't even know if she attended the dance with him. He ended up marrying someone named Vera F. I've tracked him and Vera from Tennessee to Denver Colorado and finally they ended up in the Long Beach California area which was not such a good thing because John and his wife Vera perished in the 1933 Los Angeles/Long Beach Earthquake. 115 people lost their lives and countless others were injured.

It always amazes me how I can pick up something as innocent as a dance invitation only to find that some of the people involved died in horrific circumstances.